London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

The world is 'on the verge of the abyss’, says UN

The world is 'on the verge of the abyss’, says UN

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres gives a stark warning as the climate crisis looks set to worsen.
The world is running out of time to tackle the climate crisis, according to the latest findings by the UN.

The State of the Global Climate 2020 report by the UN's World Meteorological Organisation, released on Monday, shows last year was one of the hottest on record.

Greenhouse gas concentrations have increased despite the pandemic-related economic slowdown.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres warns that 2021 must be the year of action for protecting people against the "disastrous" effects of climate change, at a press conference presenting the details of the report in New York. He said current climate ambition levels were way short of what was needed.

"Time is fast running out to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. We need to do more, and faster, now."

The standards set in the 2015 Paris Agreement are aimed to cap global warming at well below two degrees Celsius, above pre-industrial levels, with countries aiming to limit the increase to 1.5 C.

To reach this goal, it is essential that we reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Although, another report from the International Energy Agency has shown that demand for all fossil fuels is set to grow significantly in 2021.

Coal demand alone is projected to increase by 60 per cent more than all renewables combined.

Some of the most alarming findings include the fact that temperatures reached 38 C at Verkhoyansk in Russia on June 20, the highest recorded temperature anywhere north of the Arctic Circle.

The report said the sea-level rise trend was accelerating, while ocean heat storage and acidification is increasing, diminishing the ocean's capacity to moderate climate change. It added that the Arctic minimum sea-ice extent in September 2020 was the second-lowest on record.

The United Nations report came just days ahead of a crucial US-convened summit. Forty world leaders have been invited to attend US President Joe Biden's virtual talks aimed at galvanising efforts by the major economies to tackle the climate crisis.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
Jellyfish Swarm Triggers Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in Northern France
×